Student start ups – good or bad

“Dude, I have to go to work now, will catch you later!”, “I’ve got a meeting, I’m busy!”, “I got my salary today!” these dialogues make us sound like grown ups, self dependant people, don’t they?
Of course, it’s what we aim for. To be independent, to earn our own bread & butter. However, if that’s what we think is more important than our graduation degree, then the thought is entirely one’s own. College start ups, a concept wherein an under graduate gets to start something of his own. It may be an organization, a business idea, content based work like web designing etc. Now, this is something that takes time, investment, knowledge in the field of market, commercialisation, contacts, and fortunately or unfortunately, an experienced mind. To “start up” at an early age when you know what the repercussions of failure could be, takes confidence and surety about your plan and idea. Some of us would think, why not make use of the zeal and interest to create something of your own and make money out of it when you think you can make it big! And when that thought conquers the mind, it tends to overlook factors that might just have an important role in making things work.
Student start ups are more or less a consequence of having a businessman’s mind. Yes, it is rightly said, that if you are good at something, why do it for free! However, entrepreneurship is something in which once a person starts to earn, he will never have enough of it. Do we realise that the concept of being given a chance to learn at any age does not work anywhere and everywhere? We make money at an age when one ideally learns. Then who will teach us to make money smartly? Our under graduate mind? That would be only if our degree meant nothing other than a column to fill in our resume.
About 68% of the people I know, who have graduated and are working, say they were better off when in college. There being nothing to worry about, no work pressure, no need to handle money related matters. For everything, there were parents. Does it mean they were too scared to become independent? No. It simply is human, to learn and do things at the right time. Doing them later may not always cause a problem; because, in the end, you carry your experience along, wherever you go. But when you make haste on it, there are wider chances of making mistakes. Moreover, you wouldn’t even be in a position to answer the world when they question your abilities. That’s because, when you take something up on a commercial level, you ought to be sure about it because the mistakes you make there, are at the cost of various other things.
Student start ups may vary from something as simple as taking up forms of art like painting on a commercial basis to something as big as setting up websites for various organizations. Smartness lies in how you take it to a higher level. That smartness comes with time and learning. That does not mean that graduates always ace at it when they start up something, just that, they stand lesser chances of failing than the under graduates, naturally.
The idea of a start up wouldn’t have sounded as something disagreeable if only it were a consequence of making a better use of one’s skills. However, for most of us, it’s more like finding a way to earn by developing an idea that would be easy to put into practice, on a market level. I’m sure none of us realise that, these days, when you have all the time in the world to learn, without having to worry about anything else, are valuable, immensely valuable. They can play a major role in taking our career to a great height; provided, we utilize them in increasing our knowledge, exposure to our field of interest and implement those ideas in something that NEED NOT have money as one of its outputs.
21st generation has seen this new craze evolve over time. And today, we have reached a point where, there are students who think they are doing something productive only if they earn some vitamin-M from it. Of course, wonders like Bill Gates have made our belief stronger that a college degree may not necessarily be a step to success! Yes, not many think of dropping out for the sake of their “start ups”. However, money, success, fame are words that can get a man to do anything. And, mind you, it’s not bad! It’s just human. So, it’s not these lines that one needs to register in his/her mind; it in fact is a little bit of time that needs to be given, to that thought. Not everyone thinks from a long term perspective. A little longer sight of thoughts can help one decide if a start up is a smart idea or not, if it is going to lead him to compromise on his academics or not, and, if it is going to pay him for every minute of work that he is putting in. These decisions are made whatsoever if it were a grown up going for it. A fresher of this age, however, needs a “bing” on his mind before he just goes for it, for we, are the kinds who would simply listen to their heart. Even if that means taking a risk, we shall proudly go for it, not thinking of the repercussions. A matured mind does not really work that way. Not that it does not take risks, just that, it takes them in a way that does not harm anybody else, but him, in the worst case scenario.
Leo packers, one of the most reputed, famous and costly moving associations, got the owner’s 22yr son to get the company to what it is, today, with the kid’s 9yrs of work experience. Besides his chutzpah and intelligence, it was his family’s support that made him work WITHOUT the fear of losing anything. Accept it or not, it is difficult to put up a one man show at that young an age (9yrs ago, the kid would have been a 6th grader).
Hence, examples like these make us ACTUALLY think if we are strong enough to be able to make it happen, make it work, and make it big with simply our own mind.
Business start ups may be our own ‘thing’ in the beginning, but when we look at the flip side of success in this field, we figure there are many others associated with it. So yes, we do have to think twice, before we attempt to make them practically work.
To all those under graduates who are looking forward to a start up, and aiming to make it big, Good luck! When you are sharp enough to stand by your idea after reading this, you sure are going to succeed. And to those who plan to back off, you can thank me later! 😉

@aniruddh, Thank you! For an honest opinion! Yes, I probably should work on the consistency part, it kinda got haywire in between. Shall work on that! And, yes, it could have been put forward in a better way. Nevertheless, it’s always nice to have an audience so interesting to read with patience and comment! So,thanks again!

the logic that you wished to put through was good. the article could have been written better. the facts are strong, the message you wanted to convey was good. if u wanted to motivate people into taking a start up with a coolly told essay, good job. but the consistency was shaky.

Vitamin M. Lol! Yours is a direct, written-as- spoken kind of writing style. It is well- argued and confident.Though records show many successful student start-ups, I agree with the point that not everyone has the necessary far sight required. Given the fickle nature of youngsters, what might appear to be one’s “passion” today, may not be the same tomorrow. Good work! And all the best 🙂